Setting the scene Last Thursday I had a blog post scheduled to publish early in the morning in which I declared I had reached the 37 week milestone. That has since needed to be revised because – SURPRISE! – our … Continue reading →

On Tuesday, October 4th, at our 36+6 week appointment, I joked with our midwife about how ready I was for our baby to be here, even though we were still more than three weeks out from the due date. I … Continue reading →

It has been about two weeks since Steven’s birth and I finally thought I should take some time and write my experience of what it was like to become a mother by going through the birthing process. I wanted to … Continue reading →

I told my midwives I planned to have a hospital birth. It never occurred to me that a home birth was an option for me or that I would enjoy it. About midway through my pregnancy my midwives (a team … Continue reading →

Faye, oh, Faye, you are the sweetest little girl. All 10 pounds, 3 ounces of you—wow, you are quite the baby! You sure threw me for a few loops during this pregnancy, though! As a third child, I guess that’s … Continue reading →

On August 10, we were 41 weeks and a day pregnant. We had seen the midwife earlier that week and had made a plan that to break my water if things looked favorable to start an induction. I spent the … Continue reading →

It’s not like the movies—no one ever goes into labor by having their water break spontaneously. That’s what we were told in our birth class. So I was completely shocked when I rolled over in bed and felt a gush … Continue reading →

I had a birthday this past week. It was likely the most anticlimactic birthday of my 36 years. It rained all day, and my kids were sick and exceptionally clingy and whiny. Roland has been very congested and no matter … Continue reading →

Childbirth [chahyld-burth] Noun 1. The act or instance of bringing forth a child AKA … the scariest, craziest, most insane, beautifully wonderful adventure I have ever been on. What’s been about two months now seems like it was yesterday, but five … Continue reading →

For my last post, I want to share some of the things I love about being a mom. They’re not in any particular order, although number one must be this: seeing and holding a new baby for the first time. … Continue reading →

Roland is now getting around to various rooms of the house. At the same time as he got the hang of crawling, he found his balance sitting up. He’s overwhelmed with the possibilities as he contemplates whether to investigate a … Continue reading →

The logical side of my brain knew that my due date was far from a guaranteed deadline. I tried to mentally prepare myself for going past June 23 and often joked that my baby would probably be tardy to the … Continue reading →

Next week will be my last Adventures in Motherhood post, but that’s not the only change happening around here! Shawn and I have decided to move east to be closer to our families. After seven years in Utah, this is … Continue reading →

Roland wants to be in on all the action now. For the most part this is a good thing because his sisters usually want him in on it as well, and I love seeing them all together. Sometimes they will … Continue reading →

It was October in Denver, Colorado. The weather was mild and sunny. I was about five days away from my delivery date, and I came in to work as usual. Around mid-morning, I was sitting at my desk when I … Continue reading →

Baby happy is the best kind of happy. Here are some basics I’ve learned from my littles over the years. Simplicity Babies have very few expectations. After a full tummy, a clean diaper, and a nap, everything else is icing. … Continue reading →

I love food. I love eating it and cooking it, and I wish I were better at growing it. I want food and cooking together to be an important part of our family life, so I’m usually excited to initiate … Continue reading →

When I was expecting Deacon, I thought about what it would mean to start over with another baby. Back to diapers, bottles, interrupted sleep, endless spit-up covered laundry. … But, in my mind, the most frustrating part of starting anew … Continue reading →

It’s official. We made it! The start of Week 37 was the start of the time that our birthing center and midwives allow babies to be born there, rather than being sent to the hospital. This deadline has been the … Continue reading →

It’s officially fall, although we’re still waiting for it to feel like it here in the south. We’re still wearing flip-flops and short sleeves, but there are days when a sweater feels nice in the early morning. My oldest daughter … Continue reading →

Saturday at 2 a.m., I was awakened by a sudden feeling that something was not right. Baby No. 7, and it felt so different. I swung my feet over until they slid off the bed and pulled myself into a … Continue reading →

On August 15, 2016, I went in for a normal check up. I was 30 weeks pregnant at the time. I had a sonogram done first, and then, we went into the room to check my blood pressure. The nurse … Continue reading →

I have loved growing up and becoming a mom in sync with some of my long-time friends. I also love making new mom friends. Moms keep it real, and that’s real nice. Here’s what I love about the mamas: 1. … Continue reading →

You guys!!! Do you remember my post a few weeks back where my best friend from college birthed her little one on the eve of Hurricane Harvey? Here he is! Official name: Alexander, but he goes by Xander. Cutest little … Continue reading →

Ever since Roland was born, Winnie has mostly viewed him as a cute baby brother rather than as a competitor to whom she is losing time on my lap. She was three days shy of 2 years old when we … Continue reading →

One month ago our lives changed forever when Mike and I welcomed our sweet baby boy, Magnus Michael, into the world. These last few weeks have seen lots of ups and downs (and we haven’t seen a whole lot of sleep), but whenever I … Continue reading →

Baby Deke is officially 3 months old! According to Dr. Karp, he’s graduated from the “fourth trimester.” Do you know Harvey Karp? He’s the author of The Happiest Baby on the Block. I watched his corresponding video while I was … Continue reading →

We have made it to week 35! This week was always a big milestone for me because it’s the week we scheduled our baby shower. I kept feeling like it was forever away, and I remember thinking, “Okay, that’ll put … Continue reading →

This post is about loss. Please be warned if death is triggering for you. It’s been a rough year. It’s been a rougher week. We joke that Roland is the only good of 2017, and I believe it now more … Continue reading →

Mamma Mia! came out in movie format when my first was a baby. I’m a sucker for musicals, and so is mamma mia (my mom), so we watched it together. There’s a scene where Meryl Streep is helping her daughter … Continue reading →

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I started taking a weaving class. Y’all, I love it so much. Here’s how much I love it: This is me after dragging my poor, innocent husband 75 miles away to go buy, … Continue reading →

I adore the stage when babies find their feet. It signifies the time in between the hard work of the blurry newborn phase and the vigilance of the mobility phase. It’s the sweet spot of babyhood where they are durable … Continue reading →

What Deacon needs in a mother is not what Charlotte needs, or what Finn and Graham need. Every child is unique, of course, but at a more basic level, different ages call for different parenting approaches. At Deacon’s age (infancy) … Continue reading →

How many times over the course of a week (heck, even a day!) do pregnant women get asked some form of “How are you feeling?” If you’re anywhere in my number range, I would say 4 to 6 times a … Continue reading →

My husband and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary this week. The number seemed pretty remarkable to me until I found out my grandparents had just celebrated their 68th anniversary and realized that we have a ways to go to … Continue reading →

Birth is birth, whether it is in an operating room, a birth center, a living room or the middle of a forest. This wasn’t our first rodeo. We were thrilled to find out that we were expecting our fourth child. … Continue reading →

My dad sent me a great podcast episode the other day: This American Life, episode 364, “Going Big.” The episode investigates “Baby College,” a Harlem humanitarian project aimed at breaking the cycle of poverty by teaching new parents how to … Continue reading →

Those who attended the birth of my first born would tell you it was unforgettable in the worst of ways. Two years ago, I was riding passenger on the way to the hospital to be induced. My husband and I discussed during our drive how delighted we were for our lives to change to a family of three to avoid the anxiety we felt. After … Continue reading →

It was a Tuesday. I was scheduled to work up until our second son made his appearance. My husband, a firefighter, was also supposed to be at the station that day, yet for some reason, we had both decided last … Continue reading →

Mamas … REJOICE! The Big Littles are finally back in school! Go get a pedicure, take a nap, and take a breath before fall sports, school plays, class parties, teacher conferences, and the like start back up. I do realize … Continue reading →

The other day while getting out of the shower, I was confronted with another new change to my pregnant body … my very first stretch mark. With my first baby, I somehow was able to bypass these lines signaling a … Continue reading →

When I scheduled Deke’s 2-month appointment with the pediatrician a few weeks ago, they had Monday the 21st wide open. 11 a.m.? Perfect. Only, not really. What I didn’t realize at the time I scheduled the appointment was that the eclipse … Continue reading →

Have you thought about who you want around you while you’re having your baby, or when you come home with your new family member? That’s been the topic of conversation in the Payne household this week. If you’ve been reading … Continue reading →

As the third kid, Roland doesn’t get the sort of a attention that he probably should. Of course he is cared for, and in those caregiving moments I try to give him my full attention, but there’s always a lot … Continue reading →

Baby Deke is my whole world. Charlotte, Finn, Graham and Shawn are also my whole world. My world is crowded. So while Deacon receives love and attention from many sources, he doesn’t get my undivided attention as much as I … Continue reading →

Oh my goodness, week 30! This week I experienced my first dose of mommy shaming. Honestly, I’m surprised it took this long. Let me give you a little background: I have done Bikram Yoga for the last eight years. It’s … Continue reading →

I’m not usually one to be antsy to get back into an exercise routine after having a baby. I live for the excuse to not have to put on sneakers in an effort to exert more physical energy than I … Continue reading →

Before Bellamy was born, I had many conversations with my husband on bad habits we needed to kick before she arrived, many centering around diet. We were healthy-ish, but we knew her two little eyes would watch our every move … Continue reading →

Who remembers the movie Orange County from 2002? It’s one of the movies my husband and I quote the most, next to Talladega Nights and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. There’s a scene where John Lithgow sits down on the … Continue reading →

Hip, hip, hooray! We made it to the week that our birthing classes started! We had our first class on Sunday, and we will continue to have them every Sunday for 2 1/2 hours for 8 weeks. To be honest, … Continue reading →